What Do Flight Attendants Do (including Their Typical Day At Work)

Job Description

Flight Attendants provide personal services to ensure the safety, security, and comfort of airline passengers during flight. Greet passengers, verify tickets, explain use of safety equipment, and serve food or beverages. They also verify that first aid kits and other emergency equipment, including fire extinguishers and oxygen bottles, are in working order.

Other tasks include:

• Direct and assist passengers in emergency procedures, such as evacuating a plane following an emergency landing.
• Administer first aid to passengers in distress.
• Announce and demonstrate safety and emergency procedures, such as the use of oxygen masks, seat belts, and life jackets.
• Walk aisles of planes to verify that passengers have complied with federal regulations prior to takeoffs and landings.
• Prepare passengers and aircraft for landing, following procedures.
• Attend preflight briefings concerning weather, altitudes, routes, emergency procedures, crew coordination, lengths of flights, food and beverage services offered, and numbers of passengers.

We asked Flight Attendants how satisfied they are with their job. Here is what they said.

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72% of them said they were satisfied with their job and 41% said they find that their job makes the world a better place or helps to make someone else’s life better.

Typical Day At Work

On a daily basis, Flight Attendants greet passengers boarding aircraft and direct them to assigned seats. They check to ensure that food, beverages, blankets, reading material, emergency equipment, and other supplies are aboard and are in adequate supply.

A typical day for a Flight Attendant will also include:

• Announce and demonstrate safety and emergency procedures, such as the use of oxygen masks, seat belts, and life jackets.
• Prepare passengers and aircraft for landing, following procedures.
• Conduct periodic trips through the cabin to ensure passenger comfort and to distribute reading material, headphones, pillows, playing cards, and blankets.
• Attend preflight briefings concerning weather, altitudes, routes, emergency procedures, crew coordination, lengths of flights, food and beverage services offered, and numbers of passengers.
• Verify that first aid kits and other emergency equipment, including fire extinguishers and oxygen bottles, are in working order.

We asked some Flight Attendants a few questions to find out what else does their work day look like. Here is what we found.

	Do you have telephone conversations everyday in this job?	1% said yes
	How important is it to work in a team in this job?	90% said very important
	Do you have group discussions everyday in this job?	64% said yes
	Do you talk or work with customers everyday in this job?	83% said yes
	Do you have to deal with angry customers everyday in this job?	77% said yes
	Do you have to make decisions everyday in this job?	65% said yes

Other responsibilities

Besides their typical day, Flight Attendants also reassure passengers when situations, such as turbulence, are encountered. They may also heat and serve prepared foods.

On a weekly to monthly basis, Flight Attendants Inspect passenger tickets to verify information and to obtain destination information. They might also Assist passengers entering or disembarking the aircraft.

In addition, they Operate audio and video systems.

Although specific duties may vary, many of them Announce flight delays and descent preparations.

To some Flight Attendants, it is also their responsibility to Answer passengers’ questions about flights, aircraft, weather, travel routes and services, arrival times, or schedules.

Working life

Less than 40 hours per week

Irregular work schedule that changes depending on weather conditions, customer demand or contract duration.

In a typical work week as a Flight Attendant, you can expect to work less than 40 hours per week.

Is this right for me

People who are suitable for this job tends to like starting up and carrying out projects. They like leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business..

They also like working with, communicating with, and teaching people. They like helping or providing service to others.

You can read more about these career personality types here.

Explore other careers

http://www.bls.gov/OOH/transportation-and-material-moving/flight-attendants.htm

http://www.afacwa.org/

http://www.apfa.org/

http://www.faa.gov/